Press deflating mechanism



April 27, .1937. J. F. SMITH PRESS DEFLATING MECHANISM 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Jan. 51, 1955 A ril 27,' 1937.

J. F. SMITH 7 PRESS DEFLATING MECHANISM Filed Jan; s 1935 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 n -q 151 LQ 1Z5 24 i 18 I 1 i P I 1 5} I L w J' i,- w" i i I... v i l iilil.

Patented Apr. 27, 1937 UNITED STAS .P'ENT QFFICE PRESS DEFLATING MECHANISM Application January 31, 1935, Serial No. 4,271

11 Claims.

This invention relates to deflating mechanisms for use on multi-press machines having air operated presses. A particular and preferred application of the invention is to shoe press machines.

A general object of the invention is to provide a pressing machine having a movable carrier bearing a plurality of inflatable presses with improved means for deflating each of said presses at a determined part of the carrier traverse.

More specifically, objects of the invention are to provide an intermittently movable shoe press carrier with a positively acting deflating mechanism which is controlled so as to operate in desired time relation with the periods of movement and non-movement of the carrier.

A further object of the invention is to provide a shoe press carrier which is adapted to be driven by an intermittently operable electric motor,

2 which has an electrically controlled deflating mechanism which is so interconnected with the carrier driving mechanism as to effect deflation of presses only during periods of non-movement of the carrier.

Other objects of the invention will In part be obvious and will in part appear hereinafter.

The invention accordingly comprises the features of construction, combination of elements, and arrangement of parts, which will be exemplifled in the construction hereinafter set forth and the scope of the application of which will be indicated in the claims.

For a fuller understanding of the nature and objects of the invention reference should be had to the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary plan view of a shoe press carrier or conveyor equipped with deflating mechanism embodying principles of the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a wiring diagram showing the control circuit for the carrier driving motor and for the electrically controlled deflating mechanism;

Fig. 3 is a transverse vertical sectional view corresponding substantially with line 3-3 of Fig;

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary transverse sectional view taken along line l4 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary plan view similar to Fig. l, but showing another form of deflation mechanism;

Fig. 6 is a transverse vertical sectional View taken substantially along line 6-6 of Fig. 5; and

Fig. '7 is a wiring diagram showing the control circuit for the deflating mechanism used in the form shown in Figs. 5 and 6.

While benefits of the present invention may be obtained generally with any form of multi-press carrier having inflatable and deflatable presses, it is particularly useful in connection with a shoe press conveyor of the kind shown, for example, in the United States patent to Weiss No. 1,945,762. For convenience of description, the present invention is shown applied to and explained in con- 10 junction with a shoe press machine of the kind shown in that patent.

With such conveyors a plurality of inflatable shoe presses are moved about an endless carrier path past a loading station located at one deter- 15 mined portion of such path. Here the operator inserts in the press a shoe and sole having cement therebetween, and inflates the press so as to apply pressure to the sole and stick the shoe parts together. After inflation, the press proceeds about 20 the carrier traverse in order to allow the cement to set While succeeding presses are being loaded. While being loaded, the press is held stationary at the loading station, so that the movement of the carrier is intermittent. In order to save the 25 operator the time and eifort required to deflate a press arriving at the loading station, it is desirable to provide some means along the carrier traverse for automatically deflating the press prior to its arrival at the loading station. 30

The present invention provides means for positively effecting opening of the shoe press valves to effect deflation of each press prior to its arrival at the loading station, and control means is provided whereby this deflating mechanism eflective- 3 1y operates on a press located in advance of the loading station during the period of non-movemerit in which the press at the loading station is being handled.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, 40 there is shown a carrier in the form of a flexible elongate conveyor belt it which is adapted to pass around and be driven by rotatable drums, such as H, one of which is located at each end of the conveyor frame generally designated I 2. 45 These drums, or one of them, are adapted to be directly driven by an electric motor, not shown, so as to start movement when the motor current is turned on, and to come to a drift stop when the current is cut off. 50

The belt to has a plurality of presses l 3 mounted thereon at spaced intervals for movement therewith. Each press has an inflatable pad M, which is adapted to be both inflated and deflated through an air valve 15, which has an outwardly project- 5 nism is substantially like ing spring biased plunger I6, which operates in a well known manner to control the opening and closing of the valve seat, the latter being closed when the plunger i6 is in its outermost and normal position. Such a valve is shown, for example, in United States Patent No. 2,009,575, granted to William C. Card, Jr. The press is further equipped with suitable shoe supporting means [1, against which the inflatable pad is adapted to press a sole and upper assembly.

An air supply chuck i8 is located along the conveyor traverse in the loading station zone. It is preferably mounted for limited movement along the carrier traverse by means of a slidable carriage I9 mounted in brackets 23 afilxed to the frame. This carriage is given a normal bias to the left (Fig. 1) by means of a spring 2|, the progressive movement of the press on the upper traverse of the conveyor being to the right as viewed in that figure. Each press carries a projecting lug 22, which is adapted to abut an arm 23 which is pivotally attached to the sliding carriage is. As a moving press abuts and picks up this arm, it carries the air chuck l8 with it in registry with its valve l5. Such movement of the chuck and its'associated carriage permits movement of a stopping switch 24 which cuts off the driving motor and brings the press to a drift stop. This switch 24 is given a spring bias in a clockwise direction (Fig. 1) and is permitted to follow its bias when the carriage l9! reaches approximately the position shown in Fig.1.. In this manner a press moving along the conveyor traverse toward the loading station is brought to a drift stop at such station with its valve in registered alinement with the air supply chuck Hi. This chuck is movable toward the valve l5, being slidable transversely of the carriage l9. Such movement is effected by means of a lever 25 which has one end pivoted to chuck l8 and is fulcrumed intermediate its ends on a bracket afhxed to the carrier frame. Its other end' is attached to a link 26 for movement thereby and this link is pivoted through the agency of a bell crank lever 21 to a treadle operated link 28 so that depression of the treadle will effect movement of the air chuck. toward and into communicative contact with the press valve l5; This drift stop and inflation mechathat described in the above mentioned Weiss Patent No. 1,945,762 and does not form a part of the present invention except in so far as it is used in combination therewith. v

The means for effecting deflation of each press before it is thus brought to a drift stop at the loading station comprises, in accordance with the present invention, a deflating plunger including a deflating bar 29 which is fixedly attached to one end of the plunger proper 33, which latter forms the core of a solenoid 3|. The bar 29 is of such length as to span the valves on two adjacent presses as they are brought to a stop opposite it. Such bar may be located at any suitable portion of the conveyor traverse in advance of the loading station, being shown in Fig. l, as being opposed to the second and third presses in advance .of the one opposite the air inflation chuck. A spring 32 is arranged to give the deflating plunger a normal bias towardthe valves I5, so that whenever the solenoid 3! is deenergized, the plunger is adapted to project into the path of such valves and depress their control plungers it so as to vent the press pads to the atmosphere.

The solenoid 3! is connected across the terminals of the conveyor driving motor, so that as long as the driving motor is running and the conveyor is moving, the deflating plunger is held retracted. As soon, however, as the motor is cut off by the operation of drift stop switch 24, the solenoid 3i is deenergized so that spring 32 urges bar 29 into deflating contact with the valves of the two presses located before it. These presses will be approximately registered with the deflating bar because the latter is located in determined position with reference to the loading station opposite chuck l8.

Upon again starting the motor, the "solenoid will once more be energized so as to retract the deflating plunger and to hold it out of the path of the deflating valves during subsequent movement of the carrier. The means for starting the motor comprises a starting switch 33 which is given a spring bias in a counter clockwise direction (Fig. 3) and is adapted to be moved to motor starting position by means of a cam 34 which is operable by a treadle operated link 35. A spring 36 gives this link a normal upward bias, so that the switch 33 may be automatically cut off as soon as the operator releases the motor starting treadle 31.,

In Fig. 2 there is shown a suitable control circui't for operating the described motor starting and deflating mechanisms. suitable sourceis led into terminals 38 and 39.

A pilot lead 40 is run from terminal 39 to start-" ing switch 33 and thence through the coil 4! of a magnetic switch 42 and back to terminal 33.

The magnetic switch 42 is given a normal spring bias to the right asviewed in Fig. 2, but upon closing starting switch 33, the coil at 4| is energized so. as to draw the core of switch 42 to the leftand to bring a conductor 43 into contact with terminal 38 and a motor terminal 44 and also to bring, a conductor 45 into contact with terminal 39 and another motor terminal 46, thus connecting the driving motor M with the source of current so as to start the motor and begin movement of the press carrier. Soon after the carrier begins to move, the operator releases the starting treadle 3'! and thus opens the starting switch 33. In order to hold the switch 42 against its biasuntil a new press is brought to a drift stop. at the loading station, an energizing current for the switch coil 4! is run through the drift stop switch 24. Shortly after the motor is started, this switch will be closed by the return of carriage [9 to its normal position through the influence of return spring 2|. This return is permitted by riding the pivoted arm 23 across a fixed cam 41 which acts to lift it up out of the path of press lug 22. With the motor started, and the magnetic switch 42 closed and the drift stop switch 24 closed, in the manner just explained, current from the terminal 39 passes through conductor 45 to the terminal 43 and thence through a pilot lead 48 to a terminal 49, thence across a conductor 50 of the magnetic switch 42 to a terminal 5|, thence through the closed drift stop switch to a switch terminal 52 where it continues around pilot lead 40 through the coil 4| and back through terminal 38, closing ,the magnetic switch coil circuit. Since the starting switch 33 has already been opened shortly after starting movement of the conveyor by release of treadle 3l, the subsequent opening of drift stop switch 24 through abutment of a press lug 22 against arm 23 will deenergize the coil 4| and allow magnetic switch ill 42 to open in accordance with its spring bias, thus cutting off the motor M. The motor starting and stopping mechanism is then in position for repeated action through the subsequent closing of starting switch 33.

The leads 53 and 54 of the deflation plunger solenoid 3| are connected across the terminals of the driving motor M as shown, so that solenoid 3! is energized and deenergized simultaneously with the motor, or, in other words, is energized with the closing of starting switch 33 and is energized with the opening or" drift stop switch 2d.

The operation of the deflating and inflating mechanisms will be apparent from the foregoing description. It will be noted that each valve 55 is preferably held open by the deflating 2% during two periods of non-movement. That is, each press is deflated over a considerably longer period of time than that required for inflation. This is desirable in order to effect full deflation or" the press pad by the time it reaches the operator at the loading station, although it is contemplatethat the deflating plunger may operate only on one press at a time, or on any desired plurality of presses as well as the two particularly illustrated.

In Fig. 5 there is shown another or" do flation mechanism which also is operated by a solenoid and controlled so as to effect deflation during periods of non-movement of the presses. Here the belt, frame, press and valve structure, inflation mechanism and motor starting and stopping control may all be the same as in the above described form. Also,as in that form, there is provided a deflating bar I29 which is normally spring biased toward the press valves it by means of a spring 32. The bar I29 is fixedly attached to the plunger proper I38 which forms the core of a solenoid MI.

The energizing and deenergizing of this solenoid is controlled by a photo-electric cell or other light sensitive device, and the light cast on such cell is aflected by the pasage of the presses i3 therepast. To this end there is provided a light source 55 at one side of the conveyor, which is provided with a suitable reflector 56 so as to cast a beam of light directly across the conveyor traverse to a light sensitive cell 57. This cell is included in a control circuit for the solenoid lBl, which circuit is so arranged that as long as the cell is illuminated, the solenoid is energized. The beam of light from source 55 is adapted to be interrupted by the press superstructure at El and as soon as a press cuts off this beam and darkens the cell 57, the solenoid is deenergized and the deflating plunger is permitted to assume deflating contact with the press valves in accordance with its spring bias i322.

A suitable control circuit for effecting this is shown diagrammatically in Fig. 7, where a source of current G is tapped by leads 58 and 58 to provide illumination for the light source Other leads Bil and 6% connect the solenoid l3? the source of current G, but this circuit is in rupted by a relay 52. This relay is controlled by current from the photo cell circuit which is adapted to be amplified by any suitable or conventional arrangement of amplifiers and or tran formers generally designated at the photo cell circuit 53 will be open as as the cell 5'? is suiliciently illuminated, as w be readily understood, and when such cell perm ts current to flow through its circuit, an induced or amplifled current will flow through the circuit of relay 62, holding the latter closed and eflecting energization of solenoid 35. Darkening of the photo cell 5'! with consequent non-passage of current through circuit 53 will effect opening of the relay 63 and deenergization of the solenoid I31.

The light source 55 and the cell 51 are so 10- 5 cated along the conveyor traverse with reference to the loading station opposite chuck it that the light on said cell will be cut off by one of the regularly spaced presses approximately concurrently with the stopping of the conveyor through switch so that the deflating operation is carried out during a period of non-movement of the press conveyor. Subsequent movement of the presses through closing of the starting switch, such as switch 33 described in the first form above, will remove the press adjacent light cell 5? from the path of the light beam from source so as to energize the solenoid l8! and hold the deflating plunger retracted until another press arrives to cut off the light beam.

It will be seen that devices have been provided which are well suited to fulfill their intended functions. Since certain changes may be made in the above construction and diflferent embodiments of the invention could be made without departing from the scope thereof, it is intended that matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

It is also to be understood that the following claims are intended to cover all of the generic and specific features of the invention herein de: scribed, and all statements of the scope of the invention which, as a matter of language, might i be said to fall therebetween.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

l. A machine of the class described, comprising an intermittently movable carrier, a plurality of inflatable presses mounted on said carrier for movement therewith, an air control valve on each of said presses, means for inflating said presses, deflating means movable into and out of deflating relation with an opposed valve, a solenoid for effecting one of said movements of the deflating means, and means for energizing said solenoid in timed relation with the movements of said presses.

2. A machine of the class described, comprising a movable carrier, a plurality of shoe presses mounted on said carrier for movement therewith, means for inflating said presses, means for deflating said presses, a solenoid for rendering said deflating means inoperative, and means for energizing said solenoid in timed relation with the movement of said presses.

3. A machine of the class described, comprising a carrier, a plurality of inflatable shoe presses movable about the carrier traverse, means for inflating said presses, means for successively deflating said presses, a solenoid for rendering said deflating means inoperative, and means for energizing said solenoid only during movement of said presses.

4. A machine of the class described, comprising a carrier, a plurality of inflatable presses intermittently movable about the carrier traverse, each of said presses having an air control valve, a plunger movable into cooperative relation with an opposed valve to effect deflation of its press, and automatic means for retracting said plunger from deflating position during movement of said presses.

5. A machine of the class described, compris- 75 ing a carrier, a plurality of inflatable presses intermittently movable about the carrier traverse, each of said presses having an air control valve, a plunger located along said carrier traverse in position successively to register with and open said valves, spring means giving said plunger :a bias toward said valves, and means operable upon movement of said presses for retracting said plunger.

6. A device of the class described, comprising a carrier, a plurality of inflatable presses, driving means for intermittently moving said presses about the carrier traverse, means for inflating said presses, and means located along said carrier traverse for automatically deflating each successive press upon its stopping in opposed relation. thereto, said driving means and deflating means having a common control whereby each is operative only when the other is inoperative.

'7. A device of the class described, comprising a carrier, a plurality of inflatable presses movable about the carrier traverse, means for inflating said presses, a deflating plunger located along said conveyor traverse, means for moving said plunger into deflating relation with an opposed stationary press, and means for retracting said plunger upon movement of said press.

8. A device of the class described, comprising a carrier, a plurality of inflatable presses mounted on said carrier, an electric motor for driving said carrier, means for inflating said presses, electrically operated means for deflating said presses, and means controlling the operation of said motor and deflating means in timed relation.

9. A device of the class described, comprising a carrier, a plurality of inflatable presses mounted on said carrier, a motor for driving said carrier, means for inflating said presses, deflating means for said presses, and means for rendering said deflating means operative when said motor is inoperative and for rendering it inoperative when said motor is operative.

10. A device of the class described, comprising a carrier, a plurality of inflatable presses mounted on said carrier, an air control valve on each press, an electric motor for driving said carrier, means for inflating said presses, a deflating plunger movable into and out of deflating contact with said valves, a solenoid operable to move said plunger into one of said positions, and common switch means for energizing said motor and solenoid.

11. A device of the class described, comprising a carrier, a plurality of presses, driving means for intermittently moving said presses along the carrier traverse, means for increasing the pressure in said presses, means for relieving the pressure in said presses, and means for automatically operating said pressure relieving means, said last named means being controlled in timed relation with said driving means to operate said pressure rest.

JOHN FREDERICK SMITH. 

